A picture taken on October 20, 2017 shows a pickup truck bearing the logo of Iranian-backed Hashed al-Sahaabi militia carrying a fighter manning an anti-aircraft turret, in the region of Pirde or Altun Kupri, about 50 kilometres (30 miles) from Erbil where Iraqi forces heavily clashed with Kurdish peshmerga. Photo: AFP/ Marwan Ibrahim
BAGHDAD, Iraq--The office of the Iraqi prime minister said on Monday that US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had no right to tell the Iraqis what do and that his call for Iranian militia groups to "go home" was wrong because they are Iraqi fighters and under government command.
"The warriors of the Hashd al-Shaabi are patriotic Iraqis and paid with their lives in the defense of their country and the people of Iraq and they abide by the Iraqi command according to the law of the parliament," said a statement from PM Haider al-Abadi's office.
These words came in response to US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson who said in Riyadh on Sunday that Iranian-backed Shiite militias in Iraq must go home now that the war with ISIS was ending.
"No one has the right to interfere in Iraqi affairs and decide what they should do," read the statement.
It went on to say that "any foreign or coalition forces on the ground in Iraq were limited in number and were there to provide training and logistical support and had no combat role."
"The warriors of the Hashd al-Shaabi are patriotic Iraqis and paid with their lives in the defense of their country and the people of Iraq and they abide by the Iraqi command according to the law of the parliament," said a statement from PM Haider al-Abadi's office.
These words came in response to US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson who said in Riyadh on Sunday that Iranian-backed Shiite militias in Iraq must go home now that the war with ISIS was ending.
"No one has the right to interfere in Iraqi affairs and decide what they should do," read the statement.
It went on to say that "any foreign or coalition forces on the ground in Iraq were limited in number and were there to provide training and logistical support and had no combat role."
Comments
Rudaw moderates all comments submitted on our website. We welcome comments which are relevant to the article and encourage further discussion about the issues that matter to you. We also welcome constructive criticism about Rudaw.
To be approved for publication, however, your comments must meet our community guidelines.
We will not tolerate the following: profanity, threats, personal attacks, vulgarity, abuse (such as sexism, racism, homophobia or xenophobia), or commercial or personal promotion.
Comments that do not meet our guidelines will be rejected. Comments are not edited – they are either approved or rejected.
Post a comment